The Education of Miranda Lawson
by jtav
Summary: Thessia was not at all the intellectual paradise Miranda hoped for after leaving Earth. But she may find her equal in the most unlikely of places. And perhaps more than that.
1. Chapter 1

The lecture hall was crowded. Miranda leaned back in her seat and surveyed the sea of blue that engulfed her. Asari from every city-state on Thessia attended the University of Serrice, and it felt as if every single one of them had decided to fulfill their Extracurricular Humanities and Culture requirement by hearing Dr. Liara T'Soni speak. They spoke in rapid, hushed tones as they waited for the lecture to start. Miranda's translator ignored all but the closest, but she'd picked up a few of the more common languages. The words "sex," "new dress" and "dinner" featured prominently. She sighed. Trapped in her father's penthouse, she had rarely seen aliens except in vids. The asari were the wise counselors whose careful planning held the rest of the galaxy together. That was why she had suggested Thessia when Cerberus had wanted her to go to school among aliens; she had imagined finding intellectual equals at last, someone with whom she could discuss art or science or _something_ meaningful. But they were talking about the same stupid things the daughters of her father's business associates had talked about on the rare occasions she was allowed to see them.

At long last, Dr. T'Soni walked across the stage. Miranda's eyebrows went up. She looked young for an asari, hardly older than any of the students. So they didn't all spend a century or two frittering away their lives as strippers or mercenaries. Her skin was a rich blue that contrasted nicely with her off-white dress, and her body was lean and fit, as befitted someone who spent their time traipsing around dig sites. And she had facial markings in the shape of eyebrows. Miranda started. It was such an odd, human thing that it had to be a tattoo. She'd heard that some asari had gone mad for all things human after the First Content War. Maybe the doctor was one of them. Miranda chuckled to herself. T'Soni was the creature in the room who looked most like Miranda.

Whatever interest Miranda possessed evaporated as soon as T'Soni opened her mouth. Her voice was soft and quavering. Ideal for putting a crying child to sleep, and ideal for putting anything else to sleep too. Her eyes darted around the room as she spoke, as if she were looking for an escape route. All that was needed to complete the cliché was a slight stutter. Her subject matter was no better. Prothean studies wasn't her field of interest at the best of times, and figuring out what had driven them to extinction was far less important than figuring out how the surviving paleotechnology worked so she and the rest of humanity could catch up with the aliens who had a two thousand year head start. T'Soni recounted all of the usual theories: civil war, plague, environmental disaster. _I'm wasting an hour of my life for something I could find in a textbook._

"Many scholars believe that the seeds of destruction were sown right here on Thessia." T'Soni's voice broke slightly, each syllable forced from her mouth as if it were bad food. "Surviving data discs indicate that a council of planetary governors met here to plan secession from the Citadel government approximately 50,000 years ago. There's no record of the outcome."

_And what do you believe, I wonder?_ T'Soni's voice was monotone now, not just soft. Someone who had survived graduate school on the subject ought to be able to muster a little more passion for the subject no matter how bad a public speaker they were. Unless T'Soni didn't believe what she was saying. Now that was an idea. T'Soni had made no reference to her own theories, only those of others. But why? Miranda's father had sometimes bribed scientists so that their conclusions reflected his business interests. Miranda couldn't imagine anyone doing the same to an archaeologist. The extinction of the Protheans was a mystery, but a long-dead one of limited relevance for anyone living today. So why was T'Soni so unenthusiastic?

Somehow they got through the lecture without anyone erupting into loud snoring, and T'Soni opened the floor for questions. Miranda bit her lip. Dozens of questions flittered around her mind like annoying hummingbirds. She wanted to peel back T'Soni's defenses and discover what she really thought and why she went to the effort of hiding it. The direct approach wouldn't get her anything other than thrown out. She had to be sneaky.

No one else had questions. "Anyone?" T'Soni asked. For the first time, there was real emotion in her voice: panic.

Well, if she were that desperate for questions, she was more likely to give honest answers. Miranda raised her hand. "Most human empires had a long period of decline before their eventual fall. But the Protheans seem as if they went from the peak of their power to total extinction almost instantly. Why do _you_ think that is?"

"I—there are a number of possible theories. Sustained orbital bombardment could devastate a large number of planets fairly quickly. If there was a civil war and a large number of dreadnoughts were deployed…" Her smile was tight. Miranda couldn't tell if she was nervous or just patronizing. "Not dissimilar to human doomsday scenarios two centuries ago."

_Do you take me for a fool?_ "That doesn't make any sense. Those fears were over one planet being wiped out, not an interstellar empire."

"Tarin says in his—"

Something hard and icy lodged in Miranda's throat. Her voice was low and even, the way her father's was when angry. "Tarin is not here. What do you think? I presume you're lecturing because you have ideas of your own?"

Another low murmur welled up from the crowd, but this time there was no discussion of dinner or dresses. Some gave Miranda a sideways glance, others had their gazed fixed resolutely on T'Soni. T'Soni herself flinched as it she'd been struck. She bit her lip, and for a moment Miranda believed she would scurry away.

But the mouse didn't scurry away. T'Soni raised her head and stared at Miranda. The blue eyes were darker. She stood straighter, as if a weight had been lifted. Tensions crackled around her like lightning on a summer day. "I have ideas," T'Soni said, her hands trembling. Her voice was soft, but there was something in it now that made Miranda scoot forward in her seat. "The Protheans were cast down, as all before them were cast down. The Prothean extinction was not a random cataclysm, but merely the latest in a cycle stretching back millions of years."

It was Miranda's turn to react as if she'd been struck. Thoughts whirled through her too fast for her to focus. _You're crazy. Where's your proof?_ But above all: _Where did that fire come from?_ The timid, vapid scholar had vanished, replaced by something that made Miranda anticipate her every word.

Shouts erupted from somewhere near the back of the hall. "You're just as nuts as my mother said you were."

T'Soni didn't seem to hear, no longer seemed to notice her audience at all. She clenched the edge of the lectern. "I've just returned from a dig on the planet Joab where I believe I may have discovered the remains of a spacefaring civilization that predates the Protheans by at least 200, 000 years. Everything we've taught since the creation of the current Council is wrong."

She continued, her voice low and rhythmic. "The architecture is remarkably similar to Prothean ruins on Chasca and Feros, far too similar to be coincidence. And yet, they're older. What's more, we've found large amounts of element zero residue and machinery consistent with mass accelerators. This could be the most important scientific discovery of our lifetime! And if it's true, it could explain why the Great Rift of Klendagon is consistent with impact from a mass accelerator. Because it was! Don't you see? The Protheans rose up on the ashes of those who came before. Just as we did."

She faltered, and her eyes went wide, as if she at last noticed the crowd staring slackjawed at her. The color drained from T'Soni's face, revealing harsh grayish undertones. Her shoulders slumped. "Goddess," she whispered. "I—I have to go."

No, T'Soni couldn't leave yet, not after dropping a bombshell like that. Miranda dug her nails into her thigh. T'Soni was either insane or brilliant. Either way, she was the most interesting person Miranda had met since coming off-world. Here at last was someone who had more to talk about than stupid, trivial things or the same boilerplate of ideas everyone spoke about. They had to speak again. She had to figure out what made the doctor's mind work. Anything else was like feeding a starving man and taking the food away after only a bite.

But T'Soni was leaving, gathering up her datapad and scurrying off the stage. The audience was rising, too, anxious to be away from such madness. There was nothing to do but be swept up by the crowd out the door. But even then Miranda's mind was racing. Where would T'Soni go after she left the hall? Back to her hotel? Out to eat? To seek consolation in the arms of her lover? The possibilities were infinite, and infuriating.

The campus was always lively on Friday evenings, and tonight was no exception. Hundreds of lights poured onto the paths below while skycars whizzed above. Miranda couldn't gaze that the stars here as she had on the outskirts of Brisbane, but the knowledge that the gracefully arching buildings around her had been built before humanity had taken its first halting steps toward spaceflight provided its own sobering grandeur. And down below, friends talked and laughed as they made their weekend plans. It was so… easy for them. No security guards to evade, no work cameras to disable, no planning down to the minute exactly how long they could afford to be missed. Miranda had known intellectually that her childhood wasn't normal, but some moments brought it home more than others. And they squandered that freedom on trivial things. Was this to be her life now? Watching others indulge in careless freedom while she chased after a few stolen moments of intellectual engagement? Everything was supposed to be different, damn it!

Miranda walked aimlessly. She didn't want to go back to the dorm, but she was at a loss where to go or what to do. Her mind raced. Was Dr. T'Soni mad? It seemed likely. Prothean discovery of mass effect technology was a much an accepted fact as the founding of the Council or the Rachni Wars. Millennia of scholarly evidence supported it. Who was T'Soni to go against all that? But if it were true… Miranda shoved her hands in her pockets. Damn T'Soni for leaving. She felt as if a door had been slammed in her face. T'Soni had raised a thousand questions but refused to answer. She should have stayed. She was the one beacon in a sea of banality. Or she would be, as long as she didn't transform back into a mouse. "Just a few more questions."

"And here I thought you'd asked enough questions."

Miranda turned. T'Soni stood a little behind her, mostly obscured by a patch of shadow. "You were certainly having your fun mocking me."

"I—you were so dull." Her voice was a strangled, hoarse thing. Tension thrummed through her. The night air was suddenly a little sharper, a little colder. "What you said about the Protheans not being the first? Was it true?"

"Yes, I believe so. There is no one piece of evidence which I can point to and say 'here, this proves it!' but through my years of study subtle patterns have emerged. If the theories about the Great Rift Valley prove to be true, though, that would show that sapient life had been travelling the galaxy for millions of years, far longer than the existence of the Protheans." T'Soni's voice was dry.

"That's—"

"Foolish? Insane? Please, spare me your insults." T'Soni's voice was still quiet, but there was an unmistakable edge of anger. "All I had to do was stick to the approved theories, but I couldn't even do that right. The board will never hire me now."

"I was going to ask you where your proof was." Miranda's eyes narrowed. "So you were acting like a mouse to get a job. I'm not sure who's stupider: the board or you. University is supposed to be about the free exchange of ideas."

"And it ends up being about politics. My theories, even those that sound less insane than the Prothean extinction, tend to be dismissed outright because I am so young. I was hoping that a teaching position would lend some measure of legitimacy to my record. And then perhaps in twenty to thirty years, once I had established myself I…" she trailed off, touching a hand to her forehead. She let out a soft sigh. "If I have satisfied your curiosity, I really should be heading back to my hotel."

"Don't go!" It came out much more loudly than Miranda intended, but T'Soni turned back, "You still haven't given me any proof. The eezo residue on Joab could be from the system's natural reserves. Dust in the atmosphere."

"The distribution isn't consistent with atmospheric dust. Goddess, you're actually interested in this." T'Soni's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Of course I am. Who wouldn't be? What were these other civilizations? Why did they vanish? Is there a pattern? Is this something Citadel species need to worry about? How do we prevent it from happening to us?"

"I… have some notes at my hotel if you would like to have a look, Miss…?"

"Miranda Lawson. And I'd love to." Miranda smiled. "You know, Dr. T'Soni, you might be just what I came to Thessia for."


	2. Chapter 2

_So, here it is again. Frankly, I'm tired of trying to fix ME3 in my head. It's exhausting and not much fun. I've returned to my two favorite girls, with nary a Crucible or Catalyst in sight._

* * *

><p>The words of the chemistry textbook swam before Miranda's eyes; she saw without reading. The Thessian sun beat down on her and made sweat droplets form on her forehead. Tension massed in her shoulders and her gut. It was a fine day, too fine to study indoors. Even Liara had been coaxed from her books to join Miranda in the park. It was a pity Miranda couldn't enjoy any of that.<p>

Petrovsky had been damnably vague. "There's something big planned. Keep your head down and your nose clean." Her mentor had refused to elaborate despite Miranda pleading with him. She hated being kept in the dark. Information had been one of her few weapons against Henry—knowledge of the next procedure, the next hardship. Cerberus had given her liberty and purpose, but they still let her stumble in the dark when it suited him.

Sometimes she thought Liara was the only other person in the galaxy interested in knowledge, in ideas. She had wanted to poke holes in Liara's outlandish theories, but the longer they had spoken the more Miranda became convinced that Liara might be onto something. They had talked until curfew had forced Miranda to return to her dormitory, gradually poking holes in the received orthodoxy instead. Liara had given Miranda a reading list, but the books and articles had simply raised more questions and cemented Miranda's opinion that most of the so-called academic luminaries were idiots. She had returned to Liara and another few hours of discussion passed without Miranda realizing it. And so here they were. It was strange. Thessia was supposed to be a place of enlightenment, a place where Miranda could finally feel at home. She should have found friends, maybe a lover with whom she could finally lose the bloody virginity Henry had so jealously guarded. She had found Dr. Liara T'Soni instead.

"Are you all right?" Liara asked. Her expression was plaintive, as if she were hurt and embarrassed to be the one who noticed her unlikely colleague's mood.

If Liara had noticed she was out of sorts, it must be unusually obvious. "Fine. Just distracted." She pasted on a bright smile. "I've been cataloging your notes. I noticed both Joab and the Prothean ruins on Tuntau have unusually high dark energy readings. Do you think that could be a linking factor for the extinctions?"

Liara seemed relieved to be talking about academics instead of feelings. "It's possible. Perhaps there was some kind of accident on both planets. They discovered some sort of new technology, but it malfunctioned."

"Or there was a war. Humans spent most of the twentieth century worried about blowing each other to pieces. Perhaps these civilizations finally managed it. It only takes once." She shook her head. "Every mind in the galaxy should be working on this problem. Finding out what caused these extinctions is much more important than most of the nonsense I'm forced to study."

Liara smiled a small, pleased smile. The white of her teeth contrasted sharply with the blue of her skin. "I never would have expected you to take such an interest in all this. Normally, you engineering majors can't be bothered with anything that isn't hard facts and data."

"If we can find out what caused that the extinctions, we can stop it. This isn't mere academic interest, Doctor." She knew that Liara of all people would understand. Miranda had never been one to love knowledge for the sake of knowledge, but where others might see only dry and dusty old tomes, she saw vital knowledge to safeguard the future. "Humanity just got here. I want to make sure we stay. Engineers solve problems. Well, what's a bigger problem than survival? I won't stay in the dark just because some credentialed idiot tells me I should."

She could feel the energy flowing through her. This was what Cerberus was for. This was what she was for. "If we had just rested on our laurels, humanity would never have discovered the Charon relay or the Prothean ruins on Mars. Complacency is death. We have a duty to find out the truth, no matter what anyone else thinks." Humanity could avoid the fate of countless civilizations if only they would be clever and daring enough to do it.

"And if we rest on our laurels, we'll never find out what really happened to the Protheans. I don't know how yet, but I'll prove to them that I'm right. And then maybe we can solve this mystery." Liara placed a hand next to Miranda's, almost but not quite touching. Miranda could feel the warmth of it. It would be easy to move her own hand just a few centimeters, place it over Liara's. Just a simple gesture of solidarity and friendship. She lifted her hand.

"Dr. T'Soni," said a cold voice. Miranda looked up to see a tall matriarch dressed in deep purples loom over them. "I would have thought that you would be inside with your books."

Liara's gaze traveled upward, and every muscle in her body seemed to thrum with tension. "Matriarch Afala," she said through gritted teeth. "It's a lovely day, and the park is open to everyone."

"Of course, of course," Afala said in a honeyed tone. "Whether humble amp makers or the daughter of a matriarch, we are all equal. And we all must do our part to protect the health and safety of future generations." The words were innocuous enough, but hidden meanings seemed to slither through her voice like serpents.

Liara's eyes were hard, and a muscle worked in her jaw. Miranda had never seen her angry before, only caught up in brief bursts of academic passion. It would never have occurred to her that Liara's anger would be like Henry's: cold and certain. "Blind prejudice isn't protecting our health and safety. If there's any justice in the world, your proposal will fail and people will stop listening to you."

Afala's eyes were filled with a condescending pity that made Miranda want to gag. "I don't expect you to understand, dear. Benezia never understood what a tragic mistake she made with her choice of partner. I merely mean to see that that mistake doesn't cause even more harm."

Miranda cringed despite herself as Henry's voice echoed in her ears. _Clearly you were a mistake._ But Liara half-rose. "I am not a mistake. Good day, Matriarch." She spared a soft, almost apologetic glance at Miranda. "I think, I think I need to go for a walk." And with that, she trooped off to the wooded part of the park.

"What was that about?" Miranda muttered.

"Asari internal politics. It doesn't concern you, human."

"It upset Liara. You're damn right it concerns me." She was sick of people being cryptic. Petrovsky might have no choice but to keep her in the dark about what Cerberus was planning, but Liara was all for truth and knowledge. She would explain what was going on. And maybe Miranda could do something about whatever it was that had the power to drive Liara to fury.

The woods were like the enchanted forests from the fairytales of her childhood. Branches tangled together to blot out the sun. Leaves crunched under her feet. Birds chirped somewhere nearby, and the scent of clean earth filled Miranda's nostrils. It was quieter here. The bustling decadence of Serrice seemed to belong to another world entirely.

She found Liara a short distance away with her back to her. Even Liara seemed different here. The light made her skin a rich, dark blue. She looked solitary, melancholy, as if her brilliance had brought her more pain than joy. Miranda inhaled sharply without knowing quite why she did so. Asari were supposed to be beautiful. They weren't supposed to be tragic. Miranda stepped on a twig so she wouldn't startle Liara unduly.

Liara's head snapped up, and Miranda took that as invitation to step closer. "Do you mind telling me what that was about?"

Liara's eyes widened with momentary disbelief. "You don't know?" She shook her head. "But of course you don't know. Why would you? Matriarch Afala has proposed legislation mandating forced sterilization for the offspring of asari-exclusive pairings."

Miranda gaped at her. Henry might have an obsession with controlling his offspring's reproduction, but forced sterilization was surely considered beyond the pale by civilized people. "That's—that makes no sense. Why would anyone propose something like that?"

Liara laughed bitterly. "Asari mating isn't like human sex. When we join with our partners, we take their best qualities and pass them on to our children. Reproductive unions with our own kind produce nothing. Or so conventional wisdom would have you believe. The impolite term for these children is 'purebloods' and everyone knows that purebloods are a bit strange at best. Our children are more likely to suffer from mental illness and congenital defects. Therefore, it's a kindness to prevent us from having those children in the first place." She sighed. "Nonsense, of course, but the prejudice is fashionable in the right circles."

Anger wormed its way under Miranda skin and flowed through her like ice water. "Prejudice because of genetic makeup. How much of a Luddite can you be?" Were people really all so similar across species and cultures? She had been called an abomination, a latter-day Frankenstein's monster by people whose saw her creation as usurping the natural order because her genes were not left to random chance. And here was the same prejudice in different clothing.

The penny dropped. "Wait, you said 'our children.' You're one of these asari-exclusive children aren't you?"

"My father was another asari, yes. Mother hardly ever speaks of her. I suppose the embarrassment over the social stigma is too great."

The anger blazed through her now, white-hot and unreasonable. That Liara, beautiful, brilliant, _intoxicating_ Liara was scored because of her genes was an indignity not to be borne. "Why the hell should there be a stigma around people like you?" She closed the distance between them, outrage and disbelief carrying her forward. "Unless it's because you're better than them."

Liara flushed and looked down at his shoes. "Don't talk like that," she said in a small voice.

"Why shouldn't I talk like that? It's true." She placed two fingers under Liara's chin and tilted her face to look at her. "The asari are supposed to be the wisest and most advanced race in the galaxy. But you're the only person I've seen who lives up to the ideal. If those complacent idiots can't see that, then they're even bigger idiots than I imagined."

Her fingers trailed up to stroke Liara's cheek. It wasn't like human skin. Liara's skin was cool and pleasantly abrasive. Strange, exotic, and wonderful. Her breath came in short gasps, but she didn't pull away. An invitation to continue? "Sterilize you?" Miranda whispered. "You're brilliant. If I could clone you to replace all the idiots, I would. You're amazing."

Liara's lips were parted. Her mouth looked full and soft, dark with some strange lipstick that made her look older. It was too much of a temptation to ignore. No fathers or cruel guards would lock Miranda away if she took what she wanted. No reason why she shouldn't indulge herself. No reason at all. "Amazing," she repeated.

She closed her mouth over Liara's. And yes, her lips were soft and full. She tasted like mint. Liara stood stiff and frozen from either shock or terror. That wasn't right. Even Niket had been more responsive than this, and that had been probably the worst kiss ever. Miranda softened, and let her tongue skim Liara's bottom lip. Liara made a noise in the back of her throat and yielded. Her hands came up to stroke Miranda's back. Sparks of electricity ignited where Liara touched her. Ah, yes, that was more like it. So good. So very good. Not like Niket at all. _More._

Liara seemed happy to oblige her. She kissed Miranda again, more slowly this time. It wasn't at all like it was in the vids or the books Miranda had read when no one was looking. Liara kissed how she worked: slowly, patiently and methodically. Miranda opened her mouth, savoring the feel and taste of her. Her tongue darted inside Liara's mouth. Even Liara's mouth was alien: rough and oddly textured. She was unhurried here, too, as if every swipe of her tongue unearthed some new secret.

When she pulled back, her lips were bruised and her eyes looked faintly dazed. "Goddess," she breathed. "I've gone mad. Or this is a dream. A very nice dream. Nobody ever kisses me like that. I'll wake up any second now and everything will be—"

"Yes, they do kiss you like that." Miranda's lips trailed over Liara's mouth, across her cheeks, and down her jaw. Still tasted like mint. Liara returned the favor, planting hot, quick kisses on Miranda's cheeks and eyelids. Yes, this was what Miranda had come to Thessia for. Not just an education or to learn about alien cultures, but life. She would drink of every pleasure Henry had denied her, starting with the most primal. She would gorge herself on the beautiful and brilliant Dr. T'Soni.

Her arms came around Liara's waist as she backed her up against the nearest tree. Branches scraped against Miranda's arms, but she hardly noticed them. Liara was the only thing that mattered. Liara slumped against the tree without protest as Miranda went to work on her throat. She didn't moan or scream like the women in the vids but kept on making pleased, encouraging noises. She tangled her hands in Miranda's hair. "So soft and thick," she murmured.

Miranda's smiled to herself. Henry had bred her to be desirable to both men and women alike. And apparently asari, too. For him, her beauty had been just another tool, a weapon she would someday wield to give him the dynasty he so craved. But Miranda could use it for herself. Liara wanted her. There was power in that. Not Henry's domination, but something better. Nobler. She could pleaseboth herself and Liara.

Only…only she was coming to the end of her personal experience. Her fumblings with Niket had been brief and awkward, and the guards knew better than to even try to touch Henry Lawson's daughter. She'd had to depend on vids and hearsay. Breasts. Asari liked when you did things to their breasts. It seemed likely enough to be true. Miranda liked to touch herself there, and she and Liara were physically similar. She cupped Liara's right breast tentatively.

Liara inhaled sharply. "Goddess," she said again. "Incredible."

Okay. Score one for intuition. What next? She increased the pressure. The fabric of Liara's shirt was warm beneath Miranda's fingers. She moved downward, seeking bare skin. And God, finding it, just a sliver where the top met the bottom. Abrasive again. She wondered what it would be like to rub against that skin, grind against it. Pleasure with just the slightest hint of pain to remind her it was real? Or something else?

Liara shuddered. "Miranda," she said, sounding very far away. "I think we should stop now."

Miranda looked up in disbelief. Stop? Why on earth should they stop? She'd only just begun. But whatever spell that had kept Liara in place seemed to have been broken. She gripped Miranda gently but firmly by the shoulders and pushed her away. "I don't know what came over me. Anyone could have come by and seen us. I just, it had been so long since…oh, I am a complete and utter fool."

"No!" Miranda said, more sharply than she had intended. "I liked this. I want more. A lot more." Preferably soon.

"This is madness. We've known each other such a short time. Why did I let you do that to me? Why did I like it so much? I barely even know you."

Miranda saw her opening and lunged. "But you did like it. If you're worried about getting caught so much, we can head back to your room or something." Just as long as Miranda got to touch that skin again.

Liara began pacing furiously. "I know asari have a reputation for promiscuity, but I don't take these things lightly. I need… I need time to think."

"Time to think?" Miranda repeated incredulously. It was like setting a feast before a starving man and then taking it away after only a few bites.

Liara nodded. "I think that would be for the best. But…" She blushed and brushed her fingers tenderly against Miranda's cheek. "But that isn't a no."

Miranda stumbled back to the dormitory, her thoughts knocking into each other like skycars at a racetrack. Liara had enjoyed their little adventure. Miranda just had to find a way to overcome her natural reticence. Liara was beautiful, but she was also as smart as Miranda was. Miranda was sure she could find a pretty asari who was more than willing to become the lover Miranda wanted, but it would be so terribly dull. Liara was interesting. Liara was better. And Miranda wouldn't settle for anything but the best.

Miranda could tell something was wrong as soon as she entered the dormitory. It should have been filled with conversation and laughter, but a heavy silence hung in the air. Her dorm mates seemed entranced by something on the vidscreen. "What's wrong?" Miranda asked.

One of them pointed at the screen by way of answer. A prim asari newscaster stared out at the viewer. A graphic was superimposed beside her. Miranda recognized the matriarch from earlier. "Again, Sedaria Hall was bombed this afternoon, killing at least twenty-seven, including Matriarch Afala. Police say they attempted to apprehend the culprit, but she committed suicide rather than be taken into custody. They are not releasing names at this time, but it is believed that she worked for the human-supremacist organization Cerberus."


	3. Chapter 3

Miranda fumbled with her omni-tool. "Come on, come on," she muttered. But there was only a mechanical asari voice informing her that she had reached the voicemail of Dr. Liara T'Soni and to leave a message after the tone. Miranda screeched in frustration and hung up. She had tried without success to reach either Liara or Petrovsky. Petrovsky was probably dealing with the fallout from the attack. Being unable to reach him was more infuriating than frightening. Liara, though… There were dozens of reasons why she might not have answered. She was lost in her research, completely oblivious to anything relating to the attack. She was busy checking up on friends and family herself. The explosion had been on the other side of the city, and just an hour after Miranda had shoved her tongue down Liara's throat. There was no reason to think she was in any danger.

Her omni-tool beeped. Incoming call from Serrice Medical Center. Her heart bolted into her throat and stayed there. There was only one person who might be calling her from the hospital. "Hello?"

The voice on the other end was cold and professional, as if terrorist attacks were the most natural thing in the world. It was the sort of voice Miranda wished she had when giving orders. "Miranda Lawson? I'm calling on behalf of Liara T'Soni. She was caught in some debris and—"

_I'll find the cell responsible for this, and I'll kill them. I don't care what Petrovsky says._ "Is she all right?"

"There were some bruises and lacerations. We're almost ready to release her, but she's too sedated to drive herself home. She told us to contact you."

"I'll be right there." Miranda switched off her omni-tool and darted for the car park. Only long hours of training and having self-control literally beaten into her kept her from breaking into a run. Liara was a victim. Liara was all right. Everyone was sure Cerberus had done this. The thoughts ran around Miranda's head like a dog chasing its tail.

Traffic moved with agonizing slowness. Patrol cars roamed the sky, making way for ambulances and other emergency response vehicles. Sirens and horns cut through the air. And yes, there were the newsvans, with their portable QECs and transmission dishes. Wouldn't want the paying audience to miss a second of the suffering humans had caused. The sky around the hospital was choked with cars. Dozens, maybe hundreds of people were coming for friends and loved ones injured in the attack. Miranda gulped. Or they were coming to identify the bodies.

The emergency room was barely contained chaos. Dozens of doctors and nurses bustled about, talking to each other in low voices. The smell of antiseptic and medigel assaulted Miranda's nose. A few fortunate patients were up and about, their heads or hands swathed in bandages dotted with purple blood. The most fortunate of all were surrounded by what appeared to be family: a mother with her arms around a crying child, or a pair of bondmates holding hands while the florescent lighting glinted off the gold of their bracelets.

But one asari wasn't so fortunate. Her skin was more violet than blue, and white facial markings adorned her face. She would have been beautiful if she weren't sobbing uncontrollably. She looked up at Miranda without warning, the glare in her green eyes as sharp as a knife. "Your kind did this to us! Your Cerberus killed my Maphyria! How could you, human? How could you?"

"I didn't do anything," Miranda said, but the asari didn't seem to hear her and kept screaming and cursing. Miranda did her best to give the grieving woman a wide berth after that. It wasn't Cerberus that had done all this; it couldn't have been. Cerberus had seen her ignorance of alien culture as a liability, and had sent her off-world so she could see them firsthand. She had never met the fabled Illusive Man who had chosen to support her over her father, but Miranda felt certain that he would never have authorized something so sadistic and cruel.

Miranda walked until she reached Examination Room #3. All but one of the beds were occupied. And next to that unoccupied bed sat Liara T'Soni. Her eyes were glassy, and her cheek and right hand sported white bandages, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. Miranda's heart left her throat. "Liara?" she said softly.

"Miranda," she answered, her voice slightly slurred from too many painkillers. "So good to see you. Stupid flying debris. Stupid car crash. I kept trying to tell the doctors I was perfectly capable of driving myself home, but they insisted."

Miranda extended her arm and helped Liara haul herself to her feet. Liara limped heavily as they made their way down the hallway, but she didn't ask for Miranda's arm again and Miranda didn't offer. After the surgery that had given her her biotics, Henry's servants/spies had been anxious to do every little thing for his recovering daughter. Miranda hadn't appreciated the coddling, and she had a feeling that Liara wouldn't either. Miranda contented herself with luxuriating in the warmth of Liara's hand brushing against hers as they walked. Warm meant alive. When they came to the waiting room, the crying asari was still there, though she was no longer crying. She looked from Miranda to Liara and back again, disbelief plain on her face. Miranda returned her gaze coolly._ Yes, that's right. I've got my own. So don't you dare lump me in with them._ She dared to put an arm around Liara's shoulders, more possessive them protective. Liara allowed it, and they swept out into the harsh sunlight.

That sunlight revealed the bruises on Liara's face for the purple, ugly things they were. It wasn't the worst she had ever seen, not by a long shot, but it was the first time she had ever seen someone she gave a damn about really hurt. Liara noticed her staring and smiled at her. "I'm afraid I won't be much good to you for some time. I'd offer to let you throw me up against a tree again, but my back is still sore."

They climbed into the car, Liara using the doorframe for support, and Miranda chuckled. Liara's joke wasn't really that funny, but better fake humor than real pain and terror. "You still have to put up with my driving." Now that her panic was past, she could process the little nagging questions. "Why did you have the hospital called me of all people? You've got friends and family, don't you?"

Liara leaned back against the seat, not even trying to hold her head up. "I'm afraid I have few friends here in Serrice. I was always more comfortable with my books and bits of broken pottery than people. I'm an only child and—" she paused, and her voice was thick even for someone high on painkillers, "—and my mother and I don't get along." Her hand brushed against Miranda's arm. "Besides, we are friends, aren't we?"

Miranda's heart returned to her throat. "Of course." She clenched the steering wheel with both hands. Oh yes, she was definitely going to have to find and kill the people responsible for this, Cerberus be damned.

Liara had rented a small apartment in a middle-class neighborhood when it became apparent that she wasn't going to be leaving Serrice anytime soon. Though as the elevator climbed ever higher and Liara began to subtly lean on her for support, Miranda was questioning the wisdom of renting one on the sixteenth floor. All pretensions to pride or dignity had given way by the time the doors opened, and Miranda helped Liara hobble to the door. Any lingering temptation to call Liara a mouse had vanished. Mice weren't so damned heavy.

Liara's apartment was cramped compared to the suite Miranda had had growing up, but there was more room than in the dormitory. They managed to hobble toward the couch without tripping over any furniture, and Miranda decided to consider that a victory. Liara sank down on the couch without any of the grace asari were supposed to possess. She moaned, half sleepily and half in pain. "At least I'm home now. Thank you."

Miranda recognized a dismissal when she heard one, even when it was delivered by someone half out of her mind. But Liara's eyes were still half glazed over, the way Miranda's had been after the operation. Liara probably couldn't make it to the kitchen by herself, let alone fix dinner or anything like that. She straightened her shoulders and tried to make her voice as cool and icy as the nurse's had been. "I didn't drive all this way just for you to break your neck being a stubborn idiot."

Something in her tone must have struck a nerve because defensiveness crept into Liara's face and voice. "I'll be fine."

Miranda put a hand on her hip and arched an eyebrow to keep from shaking her. "Fine? I practically had to carry you in here." Honestly, she was supposed to be the stubborn kid in this whatever-it-was-that-they-had. They gave her an idea. Henry had given her absolutely nothing as a child. Everything was earned. A stuffed bear in exchange for mastering the multiplication tables, an hour with Niket in exchange for producing a singularity. And the reward system had worked, damn him. "Tell you what. If you can make it into your bedroom under your own power, I'll leave you alone right now." She gestured at the winding staircase. "I'll even let you use the handrails."

Liara's eyes were sharper and clearer now, more the woman who had spoken so passionately of Protheans and cycles. "Deal. And you can leave. Study for that chemistry test like you're supposed to."

It took her a long minute, but Liara managed to rise from the couch under her own power. Proud and stupid she might haveve been, but she had enough sense to use the handrails from the beginning. She moved slowly. Walking was no longer an instinct; each step had to be carefully considered and placed. Miranda had walked like that for three months after the operation. She cringed at the memory. Liara would be fine in a day or two, but Miranda didn't want to have that pain in common with her. She didn't want to have it in common with anyone.

Liara collapsed two steps from the top. Miranda darted forward and caught her before she hit the ground. "Looks like I'm staying for a while."

She expected Liara to protest, or scream, or do something suitably defiant. She did none of those things. Instead, she searched Miranda's face. "You're fast. Most humans would have had to let me crash."

Miranda shrugged. Speed was another of her gifts, but that didn't matter right now. It was closer to the bedroom than back to the couch at this point, so she half-carried, half-dragged Liara the rest of the way. The bedroom was as sparse and clean as the rest of the place, and it was a relief to let Liara tumble onto the bed. "I couldn't very well let you fall onto your head, now could I?"

Miranda had expected Liara to crash onto the bed unceremoniously and stay there, but she used the pillows to pull herself into a sitting position. She shook her head. "No. You're fast. And strong for your size. I don't know that much about humans, but you're about the same as asari when it comes to these kinds of things. Except for you. You're stronger. Faster. I've seen your courseload and your grades. You're a lot smarter, too. Why is that?"

Miranda froze. Her genetic tailoring wasn't a secret, exactly. It was simply never discussed. Petrovsky knew and the Illusive Man knew, but her fellow students had no reason to suspect she was anything other than a human who managed to get top marks. Why should they suspect she was anything unusual? Her "powers," if they could even be called that, weren't flashy. She couldn't leap tall buildings in a single bound or shoot laser beams from her eyes. She simply excelled at everything. Liara would of course be the one to suspect something was amiss in all that. "Some people are just born lucky. Would you like something to eat or drink? Juice, maybe? I saw the instructions they sent home with you. Drink lots of fluids?

"Juice would be—" Liara's eyes were suddenly sly. "How about another deal? I'll drink all the fluids you want if you'll tell me why you're so much, well, better than everyone else.

Miranda opened her mouth to shout "no" as loud as she possibly could, but stopped herself at the last moment. She was fairly certain she could force Liara to eat or drink if it came to that and even more certain that she would stop being so bloody petulant once the painkillers wore off, but there was no sense in making things difficult. It would be a little secret, a bond between them. Telling Liara about her genetics didn't mean breathing a word about Henry or his abuses. Liara was a pureblood. She wouldn't be one to mock Miranda for creation. Pity was the real danger. Noxious, weak pity. And if Liara was the type to pity her, wouldn't it be better to know that now before she gave more of—before she gave her heart away? "Deal."

She went to the kitchen and poured a glass of sweet-smelling blue liquid. When she returned to the bedroom, she watched with mounting anxiety as Liara drained the glass. "As you were saying?"

Miranda sat down beside her on the soft bed. She chose her words carefully, parsing out what was safe and what she didn't plan to tell anybody ever. "Stupid question, but do you know how reproduction works? Human reproduction?"

"The sperm fertilizes the egg, and the embryo receives genetic material from both parents instead of just the mother." She managed a small smile despite her bruises. "We do have the extranet here, you know."

"Well, I wasn't created that way. I was, er, grown in a laboratory. Most of my genetic material comes from my biological father, but some of it was spliced in from various other donors. And those genes were further altered. So yes. I was quite literally built from the ground up to be smarter, hardier, and faster than most humans."

Liara didn't say anything for a long time. Miranda closed her eyes._ Please be what I think you are. Please._ Liara scrunched her face up in concentration. "So, you have an artificially created genetic code? No diseases or anything like that?" Miranda shook her head. "Then I wonder if the process could be used to create asari children?"

Miranda started. "What?"

"That fear of genetic diseases that so worried Afala? It's not entirely unfounded. I'm perfectly fine, but I worry for my daughters, if I ever even have any daughters. Asari genetic testing is… not what it should be considering our other advances in medical science. Our reproduction is all randomization of the mother's DNA, anyway. To be able to know that my daughters would be healthy and that they wouldn't be shut up in a monastery…"

Monastery? Miranda's head was spinning. Her method of creation had been a cross to be endured at best. She would never be able to get away from Henry Lawson because every strand of DNA bore his mark. Everything she did, everything she was, belonged to him. The thought of another child created in the same way, that anyone would ever think that was a good thing… "I think you must've hit your head harder than you realized."

She was saved from further argument by the beep of her omni-tool. Petrovsky. Her eyes went wide. "I have to take this. Is there some place I can have some privacy?"

"Study. Last door on the left."

The study turned out to be a room the size of a walk-in closet and stuffed to the brim with various Prothean artifacts, most of which Miranda still didn't recognize. She closed them out the door, switched her omni-tool to privacy mode, and took the call.

Oleg Petrovsky was a giant bear of a man with a great black beard and heart brown eyes. The muscles in his face vibrated with tension and anger. "I assume you've heard."

"I had a friend caught in the blast, sir."

Petrovsky swore in colorful Russian that Miranda's translator refused to decipher. "I hope she's all right. Those idiots! There orders were to simply get Afala out of the way so that Tevos would get the Council seat. An assassination at most was all that was necessary, and simply manufacturing a political scandal probably would have sufficed. Wanton, senseless, stupid loss of life!"

Miranda only processed a few sentences of that. "So it was us, sir?" she said in a small voice. "Cerberus, I mean."

"If you mean Tripoli Cell was originally authorized, then yes, it was us. But this was far beyond mission parameters. They've gone rogue."

Miranda's mouth was dry. "And what happens when a cell goes rogue?"

Petrovsky's eyes glittered in a way that made Miranda shiver. "I happen, Miss Lawson. Don't worry. Your friend will be avenged."

"I want to help," Miranda blurted out. She thought of the screaming asari who had lumped Miranda in with these rogue agents. She would show her Cerberus' true face and what they did to traitors to the cause. She thought of Liara, who was stupid enough to believe that Miranda's creation was a good thing and who had been kinder and more accepting than Miranda deserved. Yes, she would be avenged. "I want to put this right."

"Leave the violence to me. Finish your schooling."

Miranda felt anger—not the white-hot rage that coursed through her when she thought about the rogue Cerberus officers, but anger nonetheless—simmer up from below. How dare Petrovsky condescend to her? "I've killed people before. I can help you."

Petrovsky sighed. "I know you can. But you can do lots of other things. I can find another gun anywhere. It's your brain and sheer force of will humanity needs right now. Thessia is in shock at the moment, but soon enough, that shock will turn to anger. They'll be looking for Cerberus operatives under every rock. I can keep my head down, but a lot of innocent humans are going to get caught in the crossfire before this burns itself out. I need you to be humanity's—Cerberus'—best face. Go to every charity function you can. They'll love you, especially if you can keep hanging around that matriarch's daughter of yours."

"So you want me to be some glittering ornament?"

"No, I want you to be plastered all over the vids so that those anti-human racists look exactly as bad as they are. And as for glittering ornaments, it's the strangest thing. Asari love them. Especially powerful asari. If you play your cards right, you and your friend are going to be invited to the homes of very powerful people." He smiled at her, and his teeth were gleaming white against the blackness of his beard. "Welcome to the spy trade, Ms. Lawson."


End file.
